Gun scope with battery compartment

ABSTRACT

A gun scope is provided having a battery compartment. The battery compartment may be configured to house one or more batteries to provide electronic power to one or more electronic components associated with the gun scope. The battery compartment is associated with a rotatable component, such as a magnifying ring, and configured to rotate with the rotatable component about an axis. In one embodiment, the battery component may be integrally formed with the rotatable component. In another embodiment, the battery component may be formed as a separate component and coupled with the rotatable component. The battery compartment extends radially outward from the rotatable component and provides a lever for rotation of the rotatable component about its axis of rotation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/458,406, filed Mar. 14, 2017, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,939,229 onApr. 10, 2018, which: 1) is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patentapplication No. 29/555,069 entitled GUN SCOPE WITH BATTERY COMPARTMENT,filed Feb. 18, 2016; and 2) claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/307,911 entitled GUN SCOPE WITH BATTERY COMPARTMENT,filed on Mar. 14, 2016. The disclosures of each of the above referencedpriority documents are incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

Gun scopes can serve a variety of functions. For example, many gunscopes can magnify a viewing area, much like a telescope. Many gunscopes also include reticles that may be manually adjusted to provide anaccurate aiming position based on a number of different factors,including distance to a target, angle to the target, wind, humidity, andballistics characteristics of the projectile, to name a few. Rotatableturrets and rings are often provided on gun scopes to make desiredadjustments to reticle position and magnification. For example,rotatable turrets (or knobs) may be provided to adjust the position of areticle and a rotatable dial (or ring) may be provided to focus oradjust the magnification of the scope. These knobs and rings may berotatable by hand making adjustments in the field simple and quick.

In order to facilitate manual manipulation, the outer surfaces of theseknobs and rings may have textured surfaces or small protrusions. Thepurpose of the textured surfaces or protrusions is to help a user toengage the knobs or rings with the user's hands and fingers. Forexample, protrusions can provide leverage for a user to rotate a knob orring with a finger. Even with small protrusions, it is often difficultfor a user to rotate a knob or ring due to the small size of theprotrusions and interference with other components on the gun scope.These problems are often exaggerated in use because it is usually agloved finger that is being used to engage the protrusions.

Over time, gun scopes have evolved to include advanced featuresincluding electronics, such as a processor and memory, which may performcalculations to assist a user in determining the appropriate correctionsto make for a given shot. For example, a gun scope may have a memorythat contains a ballistics table with different data based on differenttypes of ammunition that may be used with a gun. A processor may usethis information, along with distance, angle, wind, humidity, or otherfactors to compute an appropriate correction that a user may implementby manually adjusting one or more turrets or rings on the scope.

These electronic components require a power source, such as a battery,in order to operate. It is often difficult to find a suitable place tohouse within the scope the one or more batteries because gun scopesoften have narrow and sleek profiles. In order to limit the negativespatial impact on the gun scope, smaller batteries are often used.Unfortunately, with smaller batteries comes a more limited operationaltime. This can be problematic, as users often take these gun scopes intothe field for multiple days without access to either an outlet to chargethe battery or a store to purchase a replacement.

The present invention addresses deficiencies in current gun scopes andprovides various advantages as will become apparent upon reading of thepresent disclosure.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, embodiments of a gun scope aredisclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, a gun scope comprises abody member, a rotatable component that is configured to rotate about anaxis relative to the body member, and a battery compartment configuredto house at least one battery therein, wherein the battery component isassociated with and rotates with the rotatable component about the axis.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment radially protrudes from therotatable component relative to the axis.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment is configured as a lever forrotation of the rotatable component about the axis.

In one embodiment, the gun scope further comprises an electroniccomponent contained within the body member.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment is in electricalcommunication with the electronic component.

In one embodiment, the gun scope further comprises a first electricalcontact member in electrical communication with a first terminal of theat least one battery and a second electrical contact member inelectrical communication with a second terminal of the at least onebattery, wherein the first electrical contact and the second electricalcontact are configured for rotation about the axis with rotatablemember.

In one embodiment, the gun scope further comprises a first electricaltrace and a second electrical trace, wherein when the rotatable memberrotates from a first position to a second position, the first electricalcontact maintains physical and electrical contact with the first traceand the second electrical contact maintains physical and electricalcontact with the second trace.

In one embodiment, the first trace and the second trace are formed on aprinted circuit board.

In one embodiment, the rotatable member is configured for rotation ofless than 360° about the axis.

In one embodiment, the rotatable member is configured for rotation ofabout 270° about the axis.

In one embodiment, the gun scope further comprises the rotatablecomponent is a magnification ring.

In one embodiment, the electronic component includes a processor.

In one embodiment, the electronic component includes a display device.

In one embodiment, the electronic component includes at least onesensor.

In one embodiment, the electronic component includes a memory device.

In one embodiment, the gun scope further comprises at least onerotatable knob configured to adjust a position of a reticle.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment is sized and shaped andconfigured to house one or more AA-type, AAA-type, AAAA-type, C-type,D-type, 9 volt-type, CR2, CR123, or CR2032 batteries.

In one embodiment, further comprising a rechargeable battery disposed inthe battery compartment.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment extends a distance radialoutward from the rotatable component relative to the axis a distance ofapproximately 11 millimeters (mm) or greater.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment extends a length of at leastapproximately 45 mm in a direction substantially parallel to the axis.

In one embodiment, the battery compartment is integrally formed with therotatable component.

Features and components of one embodiment may be combined with featuresor components or another embodiment without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparentupon reading the following detailed description and upon reference tothe drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gun scope according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gun scope shown in FIG. 1, with acomponent adjusted to a different position or state;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the gun scope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the proximal end of gun scope shown in FIG. 1;and

FIG. 5 is perspective view showing certain components of a gun scopeaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an a gun scope 10 according to one exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. The gun scope 10 includes a bodyportion 11, a proximal end 12 and a distal end 14. The gun scope 10 maybe attached to a firearm, such as a rifle as will be appreciated bythose of ordinary skill in the art. The gun scope 10 may include one ormore rotatable components, such as knobs 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c and one ormore rings 18. The knobs 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c and ring 18 may rotaterelative to body portion 11 about various axes. For example, knobs 16 aand 16 c may rotate about a first axis 17 a, while knob 16 b may rotatesabout a second axis 17 b, and while ring 18 may rotate about a thirdaxis 19. A user may rotate knobs 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c and/or ring 18 inorder to selectively adjust one or more adjustable parameters on gunscope 10. For example, rotation of knobs 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c abouttheir respective axes may adjust the position of a reticle 15 (see FIG.4) within the scope 10. The ring 18 may be configured as a magnificationdial (sometimes also called a power ring) which, when selectivelyrotated by a user, adjusts the magnification of a viewing area of gunscope 10.

The ring 18 may be positioned at the proximal end 12 of gun scope 10 andmay have a battery compartment 20 secured to an exterior surface of thering 18. The battery compartment 20 is configured to rotate with thering 18 about its axis 19 relative to body portion 11. The batterycompartment 20 may be secured to an exterior surface of the ring 18 in anumber of ways. For example, the battery compartment 20 may beintegrally formed with the ring 18 or it may be a separate componentthat is attached to the ring 18. The battery compartment 20 may includea cap 26, which may be selectively removed by a user to access thebattery inside.

Considering FIG. 2 in comparison with FIG. 1, movement of the ring 18about its axis 19 relative to body portion 11 of the gun scope 10includes commensurate movement of the battery compartment 20. As can beseen in FIG. 2, the ring 18 and the battery compartment 20 may berotated in the direction of arrow 22, or in a direction opposite to thedirection of arrow 22, to adjust the magnification level of gun scope 10or to adjust another selectively adjustable parameter.

With reference again to FIG. 1, the battery compartment 20 provides aradially extending protrusion on the ring 18 that may be used forleverage by a user to rotate ring 18. This added leverage provides anadvantage for any user, including, for example, added usefulness for auser that may be attempting to rotate the ring 18 while wearing gloves.In addition to battery compartment 20, the exterior surface of ring 18may further include additional texture 21 to further facilitate a user'sability to grasp and turn ring 18. Additionally, in some embodiments atexture feature may be formed on the exterior surface of the batterycompartment itself.

In addition to providing a user with additional leverage for rotatingring 18, battery compartment 20 may be sized and shaped to house one ormore batteries that are configured to provide power to electroniccomponents of gun scope 10. For example, battery compartment 20 may besized and shaped to house one or more small cylindrical-shapedbatteries, such as an AA-type, an AAA-type or an AAAA-type battery.Considering an embodiment using an AAA-type battery, the protrusion mayexhibit a dimension “L” (see FIG. 3) that is longer than approximately45 millimeters (mm) in a direction that is substantially parallel withthe axis 19 about which the ring 18 rotates, and extends radiallyoutward (relative to axis 19) from the ring 18 a distance “D” (see FIG.4) of more than approximately 11 mm beyond the radius of the ring 18. Ofcourse, other embodiments may result in other sizes of the batterycompartment 20 depending at least in part, for example, on the size ofthe battery being utilized.

In other embodiments, a battery compartment that is sized and shaped tohouse a different shape or size of battery may be provided. For example,a battery compartment may be sized and shaped to house C-type, D-type, 9volt-type, CR2, CR123, CR2032, A23 or other types of batteries. In someembodiments, the battery compartment may be sized for one particularsize of battery (e.g., a AA-type) but configured to receive adaptersenabling it to use other types of batteries (e.g., AAA-type orAAAA-type). In other embodiments, the battery may be a proprietarybattery rather than one that is commercially available. In someembodiments, the battery housed within the battery compartment 20 may bea rechargeable type battery—either proprietary or commerciallyavailable. To enable recharging, battery compartment 20 may include acharging port 24 (see FIG. 3) that a user may connect to an externalpower source, such as an outlet or a battery pack, using a power cord.In other embodiments, a rechargeable battery may be charged usingwireless charging techniques.

In order to maintain electrical contact between the electricalcomponents within gun scope 10, spring-loaded contacts may be positionedwithin battery compartment 20 and underneath ring 18 to make contactwith a printed circuit board, such as a flex printed circuit board,within body portion 11 of gun scope 10. Once a load is placed on thespring(s), the contacts may maintain electrical communication with theprinted circuit board or other electronic components within body portion11 through friction and pressure applied by the spring(s).

For example, referring to FIG. 5, a first electrical contact 30 a and asecond electrical contact 30 b may be coupled with a bracket or platemember 32, the plate member being associated with the batterycompartment 20, the ring 18 or both. One terminal of the battery 34(e.g., the “+” terminal) may be in electrical communication with a lead36 a of the first electrical contact 30 a, and another terminal of thebattery 34 (e.g., the “−” terminal) may be in electrical communicationwith a lead 36 b of the second electrical contact 30 b.

The contacts 30 a and 30 b may be configured as cantilevered contacts,such as shown, or may be configured to otherwise be biased into physicaland electrical contact with associated conductive traces 38 a and 38 bwhich may be formed on, for example, a printed circuit board 40. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the printed circuit board 40 may be formedas a generally cylindrical or ring like member configured forpositioning within the ring 18 of the gun scope 10. As the ring 18 andthe battery compartment 20 rotate about axis 19 relative to the bodyportion 11 of the gun scope 10 (such as discussed above), the contacts30 a and 30 b and their associated components (e.g., plate member 32 andleads 36 a and 36 b) as again indicated by arrow 22 in FIG. 5. Duringrotation, the contacts 30 a and 30 b maintain physical and electricalcontact with their associated conductive traces 38 a and 38 b,respectively, providing electrical power through the traces 38 a and 38b to associated electronics 42. The electronics 42 may include any of avariety of components including, for example, a processor, memory, adisplay, sensors (e.g., inclination, azimuth, temperature, pressure),GPS devices, range finder components or other devices. Non-limitingexamples of some electronics that may be incorporated into or otherwiseassociated with the gun scope are described in U.S. Patent PublicationNo. US20150247702, published Sep. 3, 2015, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In various embodiments, the ring 18 and battery compartment 20 (and,thus, an battery 34 contained therein) may rotate through differentangular ranges relative to the body portion 11 of the gun scope 10. Inone embodiment, the ring 18 and battery compartment 20 may not be ableto rotate a full 360 degrees, but may be limited to something less than360 degrees. In some embodiments, a ring and battery compartment may beable to rotate 359 degrees or much less, such as 270 degrees. In otherembodiments, the ring 18 and battery compartment 20 may be sized andpositioned so that full 360 degree rotation (or more) is possible.

While the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure shows abattery compartment 20 associated with ring 18 at the proximal end 12 ofgun scope 10, other embodiments are also possible. For example, abattery compartment may be associated with one or more of the knobs 16a, 16 b, or 16 c used to adjust the reticle 15. In addition, a batterycompartment may be associated with a selectively adjustable ring at thedistal end 14 of gun scope 10.

Additionally, while the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosuredepicts a battery compartment that protrudes from a rotatable element,it is noted that a battery compartment may be formed within therotatable element (e.g., the magnifying ring 18) in a manner such thatit doesn't protrude or alter the shape of the ring in a noticeablemanner. Rather, the battery compartment may be formed such that it (andthe battery contained therein) rotate with the rotatable element withoutproviding a leverage point to assist the user in rotating the rotatableelement.

Numerous specific details are set forth herein to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled inthe art will understand that the claimed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, methods,apparatuses, or systems that would be known by one of ordinary skillhave not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subjectmatter.

The use of “adapted to” or “configured to” herein is meant as open andinclusive language that does not foreclose devices adapted to orconfigured to perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the useof “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, in that a process,step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more recitedconditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditionsor values beyond those recited. Headings, lists, and numbering includedherein are for ease of explanation only and are not meant to belimiting.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing, may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat the present disclosure has been presented for-purposes of examplerather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations, and/or additions to the present subjectmatter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gun scope comprising: a body member having anoptical axis; a rotatable component configured to rotate about theoptical axis relative to the body member; and a battery compartmentconfigured to house at least one battery therein, wherein the batterycomponent is associated with and rotates with the rotatable componentabout the axis.
 2. The gun scope of claim 1, wherein the batterycompartment radially protrudes from the rotatable component relative tothe optical axis.
 3. The gun scope of claim 2, wherein batterycompartment is configured as a lever for rotation of the rotatablecomponent about the optical axis.
 4. The gun scope of claim 3, furthercomprising an electronic component contained within the body member. 5.The gun scope of claim 4, wherein the battery compartment is inelectrical communication with the electronic component.
 6. The gun scopeof claim 5, further comprising a first electrical contact member inelectrical communication with a first terminal of the at least onebattery and a second electrical contact member in electricalcommunication with a second terminal of the at least one battery,wherein the first electrical contact and the second electrical contactare configured for rotation about the optical axis with rotatablecomponent.
 7. The gun scope of claim 6, further comprising a firstelectrical trace and a second electrical trace, wherein when therotatable component rotates from a first position to a second position,the first electrical contact maintains physical and electrical contactwith the first trace and the second electrical contact maintainsphysical and electrical contact with the second trace.
 8. The gun scopeof claim 7, wherein the first trace and the second trace are formed on aprinted circuit board.
 9. The gun scope of claim 7, wherein therotatable component is configured for rotation of less than 360° aboutthe optical axis.
 10. The gun scope of claim 9, wherein the rotatablecomponent is configured for rotation of about 270° about the opticalaxis.
 11. The gun scope of claim 10, wherein the electronic componentincludes a processor.
 12. The gun scope of claim 10, wherein theelectronic component includes a display device.
 13. The gun scope ofclaim 10, wherein the electronic component includes at least one sensor.14. The gun scope of claim 10, wherein the electronic component includesa memory device.
 15. The gun scope recited in claim 1, wherein thebattery compartment is sized and shaped and configured to house one ormore AA-type, AAA-type, AAAA-type, C-type, D-type, 9 volt-type, CR2,CR123, or CR2032 batteries.
 16. The gun scope of claim 1, furthercomprising a rechargeable battery disposed in the battery compartment.17. The gun scope of claim 1, wherein the battery compartment extends adistance radial outward from the magnification ring relative to the axisa distance of approximately 11 millimeters (mm) or greater.
 18. The gunscope of claim 1, wherein the battery compartment extends a length of atleast approximately 45 mm in a direction substantially parallel to theaxis.
 19. The gun scope of claim 1, wherein the battery compartment isintegrally formed with the rotatable component.
 20. The gun scope ofclaim 1, wherein the magnification ring is configured for rotation of atleast 360° about the axis.